green kale smoothies..

Are you all as sick of food as I am? I swear I eat way more during the Christmas Holidays than I do Thanksgiving and Halloween combined. I think it’s because there are cookies, cakes and chocolate bark galore in my house this time of year. As I’m typing this I am stuffed and almost in a food coma. The kids and I went to Whole Foods tonight for a burrito because we were starved and I was too lazy to cook. Note to self; NEVER go get a Whole Foods Burrito when you are starved. First off, they are huge and honestly half of their burritos are the perfect portion and what we normally eat. Well, as I said, we were starved, so we each decided to get a whole burrito rather than share, and we ate the whole thing (well, at least I did). I regret that decision now because I am SO utterly stuffed! I’m ready to get back to healthy eating and healthy portions, so I guess this would be the perfect time for me to write a smoothie post.

I have 2 go-to kale smoothies that I have been drinking for some time but both require grapes which are out of season now, (organic grapes anyway) so I have been experimenting with different Kale concoctions. It’s been pretty easy actually, because I am use so use to the taste of kale now that I can eat it with just about anything.

This is not your run of the mill fluff smoothie. This is truly a green smoothie and you will taste the kale in this. I want to get the most greens in my smoothie, so I just add some fruit to take away the bitter taste of the kale. Basically your just drinking fruits and veggies in this smoothie, as there is no added fluff or sugars. I also add 2 tablespoons of flax seed to my smoothie because of all the health benefits. I will post the benefits for you below.

Omega-3 essential fatty acids, “good” fats that have been shown to have heart-healthy effects. Each tablespoon of ground flaxseed contains about 1.8 grams of plant omega-3s.

Lignans, which have both plant estrogen and antioxidant qualities. Flaxseed contains 75-800 times more lignans than other plant foods.

Fiber. Flaxseed contains both the soluble and insoluble types.

Kale & Mango Smoothie:

makes approx. 16 oz

2-3 large dinosaur/lacinato kale leaves – stems removed – Note: if you’re new to kale, then add 1 to 2 leaves till you get use to the taste

1 cup filtered water or coconut water – coconut water makes it a bit sweeter

1 large banana

1 cup frozen or fresh mango (if you’re using fresh mango then you will want to add some ice cubes) – I like the frozen mango from Trader Joes

Optional – 2 tablespoons flax seed

Note: If your smoothie is thick then add more water to taste or if you like it colder then add more ice. Experiment with your smoothies until you get them to a taste and consistency you enjoy. If you want it to be sweeter then add more mango. The key here is that you can add what and how much you want till it tastes good to you. I like the taste of kale so I tend to add less citrus than most people. You can’t do anything wrong here, it’s a smoothie.

I drink my smoothies for lunch with a piece of whole grain bread topped with peanut butter, or I have one in-between my morning workout and lunch.